In the Greek religion, Nike ( Νίκη, "Victory") is a Goddess who personifies victory. She is the Goddess of strength, speed, and victory. Nike flies over battlefields rewarding the victors with glory and fame, symbolized by a wreath of bay leaves.
Nike has been variously described as a daughter of the Titan Pallas and the Goddess Styx, and the sister of Kratos (Strength), Bia (Force), and Zelus (Zeal).
In Homer, Nike is mentioned as daughter of Ares, the God of war.
Nike and her siblings are close companions of Zeus, the King of the Hellenic Pantheon. Styx brought Her children to Zeus when the God was assembling allies for the Titanomachy against the older Deities. Nike became the Divine charioteer, a role in which She is often portrayed in Classical Greek art. Apart from Her duties on Zeus' side, Nike is also a companion and helper of Warrior Goddess Athena. A statue of Nike adorned the outstretched hand of the huge statue of Athena Parthenos in the Parthenon.
Nike is seen with wings in most statues and paintings, with one of the most famous being the Winged Victory of Samothrace. She is also one of the most commonly portrayed figures on Greek coins. In Athens, She was portrayed without wings, since the Athenians wanted the Goddess to never fly away from their city.
Nike is a Goddess that still inspires the human intellect as a Goddess of Victory. A characteristic example of that is that
the obverse of every Olympic medal bears Nike's figure holding a palm branch in her right hand and a winner's laurel crown in her left. Her image has been kept on the Olympic medals since the re-establishment of the Olympic Games in 1896, with very few exceptions.
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